Improving Nutrition in South Sudan: Annual Report FY 23

The project is part of the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program (BSFP) aimed at preventing chronic malnutrition among children 6-24 months and pregnant and lactating women (PLW). The project was initiated as a follow-up to a previous nutrition project that targeted households with acutely malnourished children in Aweil West County. The main objective of the project is to improve the nutritional outcome, positively impact the growth and development of children 6-24 months, and improve the nutritional status of PLW. The desired overall outcome of the project is healthy growth and reduced micronutrient deficiencies among children 6-24 months, improved nutritional status for PLW, enhanced birth outcomes, and improved pre- and post-natal care among women. The project conforms to the South Sudan Ministry of Health (MoH) Strategy on maternal infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN), which clearly spells out the overall vision, goals, and strategic directions on health and nutrition of mothers and children. During the reporting period (1st October 2022 – 30th September 2023), WCDO conducted stakeholder engagement, beneficiary sensitization, mobilization, and registration in all ten final distribution points or nutrition centers. The project targeted the distribution of LNS-SQ (Enov' Nutributter) to 4,000 children (6-24 months) and Enov' Mum (LNS-PLW) to 4,000 PLW for a period of nine months. However, due to sensitization, stakeholder, and beneficiary engagement, WCDO had to register an additional number of beneficiaries to ensure all commodities were distributed within the short period and before the expiry dates for the products. A total of 4,999 children (2,477 male, 2,522 female) aged 6-24 months received Enov' Nutributter (LNS-SQ), and 5,225 PLW (1,772 Pregnant, 3,453 Lactating) received Enov' Mum (LNS-PLW). The beneficiaries also benefitted from additional services, including MUAC screening, testing, treatment, and prevention of malaria. Community nutrition volunteers (CNVs) conducted cooking demonstrations to enable the beneficiaries learn how to prepare nutritious foods at home using locally available materials. To improve their economic status, 200 savings and loans for transformation (SALT) groups were formed to enhance beneficiaries' economic activities. Formation of the groups entailed training on the importance of savings, record-keeping, and viable business opportunities that they could engage in to increase their earnings. Community nutrition facilitators (CNFs) and CNVs sensitized the beneficiaries on appropriate use of the products, exclusive breastfeeding, PLW group counselling on ANC, and PNC practices, care of the sick child, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices. To enhance sustainability, ten Mother to Mother (M2M) support groups have been formed. Each group is composed of 25 members. These volunteer mothers and caregivers have been trained as lead mothers and role models in the community. They lead in practicing good IYCF practices, establishment of demo farms, kitchen gardens, conducting cook demonstrations, and formation of Savings Association for Loans and Transformation (SALT) groups. They act as role models to other mothers in the community and in turn train the other mothers for the trickle-down effect. According to UNICEF, the under-five mortality rates in South Sudan stand at 9.4%, and the infant mortality rate is 7.4%. The project aims to contribute to the reduction of these rates by improving the nutritional status of children and pregnant and lactating women. The project's success will enable the government and nutrition partners to include Lipid-Based Nutrition Supplements - Small Quantity (LNS-SQ) in the country's nutrition protocol and eventually pave the way for countrywide rollout.